Lori Noel - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Drafts by Lori Noel
The eloquence of traditional Dao(tao)ism’s practices and beliefs is evident when reading Daoist t... more The eloquence of traditional Dao(tao)ism’s practices and beliefs is evident when reading Daoist texts and poetry about life and the cosmos. But to truly understand ancient practices, it is also important to look at the material culture of traditions. Talisman practice is common in ancient Daoism rituals.
This project aimed to prove that religious objects can obtain and maintain various identities s... more This project aimed to prove that religious objects can obtain and maintain various identities simultaneously. Through a case study of objects in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and of temples in Montreal, this project argued that methods of display and environment, as well as history and beliefs shape the purpose and identities of the objects. The project concluded with a look at the importance of ethical curating going forward in Canadian museums and galleries.
Concordia University, 2018
Objects classified as “linga”, also known as the “(Siva) Linga(m)” can hold various meanings depe... more Objects classified as “linga”, also known as the “(Siva) Linga(m)” can hold various meanings depending on the accepted myths, the background or context of the viewer who is interacting with it. The word “linga” translates as a “symbol” or “emblem” but is commonly used to describe the aniconic, cylindrical structure worshipped in Saiva Siddhanta traditions. The structure is seen as an abstract representation of the formless (unmanifest) version of the god Siva. However, Interpretations of the icon range widely from this literal understanding of the linga as the male phallus to an abstract representation of the formless divine. In fact, this essay highlights many non-sexual and non-gendered aspects of the linga in mythology. This project looks at mythological origins, histories of practical and linguistic interpretation, and compares these concepts of the mysterious object known as the linga to contemporary practices of devotion and visual representation of the material object. There is no doubt that it is phallic in shape, and that this connotation is often explicitly expressed through its material representation. However, it seems that this form is largely a symbolic or a signifying representation of a concept that is slightly more abstract and fluid than the strict explanations often desired within the Western perspective. As is done in translation of words like “linga” and “yoni” from sankrit texts to english, we create a gendered binary which isn't always applicable within Saivan myths and even with the god Siva. The Linga is a material representation of the divine, and what is divine can have many routes and interpretations.
This paper will begin by looking at various myths and texts that mention the linga. Do these texts, including the Pine Forest myth; the Kurmapurana; and other myths explain the origin of the object worship? Is it seen as something phallic and sexual or more of an abstract representation of divine power in general? Following this will be a sample of temple and shrine rituals or devotions directed towards the linga both in history and contemporary practice. Following this will be a brief study of the form itself. What are the different material representations of this object? Finally, this paper will conclude with a question of the linga's gendered situation. In what ways is female power (sakti) important to the linga and also Siva? This project inevitably ends with more questions than answers as the following research is only a small sample of the complex material object of the linga.
The eloquence of traditional Dao(tao)ism’s practices and beliefs is evident when reading Daoist t... more The eloquence of traditional Dao(tao)ism’s practices and beliefs is evident when reading Daoist texts and poetry about life and the cosmos. But to truly understand ancient practices, it is also important to look at the material culture of traditions. Talisman practice is common in ancient Daoism rituals.
This project aimed to prove that religious objects can obtain and maintain various identities s... more This project aimed to prove that religious objects can obtain and maintain various identities simultaneously. Through a case study of objects in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and of temples in Montreal, this project argued that methods of display and environment, as well as history and beliefs shape the purpose and identities of the objects. The project concluded with a look at the importance of ethical curating going forward in Canadian museums and galleries.
Concordia University, 2018
Objects classified as “linga”, also known as the “(Siva) Linga(m)” can hold various meanings depe... more Objects classified as “linga”, also known as the “(Siva) Linga(m)” can hold various meanings depending on the accepted myths, the background or context of the viewer who is interacting with it. The word “linga” translates as a “symbol” or “emblem” but is commonly used to describe the aniconic, cylindrical structure worshipped in Saiva Siddhanta traditions. The structure is seen as an abstract representation of the formless (unmanifest) version of the god Siva. However, Interpretations of the icon range widely from this literal understanding of the linga as the male phallus to an abstract representation of the formless divine. In fact, this essay highlights many non-sexual and non-gendered aspects of the linga in mythology. This project looks at mythological origins, histories of practical and linguistic interpretation, and compares these concepts of the mysterious object known as the linga to contemporary practices of devotion and visual representation of the material object. There is no doubt that it is phallic in shape, and that this connotation is often explicitly expressed through its material representation. However, it seems that this form is largely a symbolic or a signifying representation of a concept that is slightly more abstract and fluid than the strict explanations often desired within the Western perspective. As is done in translation of words like “linga” and “yoni” from sankrit texts to english, we create a gendered binary which isn't always applicable within Saivan myths and even with the god Siva. The Linga is a material representation of the divine, and what is divine can have many routes and interpretations.
This paper will begin by looking at various myths and texts that mention the linga. Do these texts, including the Pine Forest myth; the Kurmapurana; and other myths explain the origin of the object worship? Is it seen as something phallic and sexual or more of an abstract representation of divine power in general? Following this will be a sample of temple and shrine rituals or devotions directed towards the linga both in history and contemporary practice. Following this will be a brief study of the form itself. What are the different material representations of this object? Finally, this paper will conclude with a question of the linga's gendered situation. In what ways is female power (sakti) important to the linga and also Siva? This project inevitably ends with more questions than answers as the following research is only a small sample of the complex material object of the linga.